"Why does thou force me to attend these events, Sister?" Asks the small alicorn to her larger sibling at her side. "I haven't made such an appearance in over a thousand years and it is still so soon since I returned"
"Sister, you need to become more public so our subjects and allies can see that you are not Nightmare Moon any more." Celestia responded in her kind, cheerful voice. "From what I could tell, that...Arcadian, was it? Yes, he couldn't keep his eyes of you," Luna did a double spit take. "I think you have an admirer."
"Thou are lying, he is another species and would not even think of looking at royalty" Luna tried to say with an absent look, but even that doesn't hide her reddening cheeks.
"Luna's got a colt friend, Luna's got a colt friend," Celestia sung quietly in Luna's ear. She was careful not to let anyone else hear her. Luna was going red and tried to hide her face.
"Excuse me, your highnesses, but the fights are about to begin." says Tar'kor from the other side of Celestia. Both princesses sat up straight and turned their heads to the arena.
I was laying in the same place for what felt like hours, I only just found out that I had been kicked a few minutes ago. Then again, I wouldn't have heard anything before that, the pain was too great. I look around and saw that the room had been emptied pretty fast, from about 30 competitors, down to 10, An'taur is still next to me and trying to comfort me about my recent pains but Jarr is no-where to be seen.
"You good?" asks An'taur, realising that I am slowing beginning to move again.
"Do I look good to you?" I growl at him.
"I don't swing that way, but besides the fact you are bald and have no decent muscles on you, you are ugly as fuck!" He shouted with a laugh. Why did he say that? I didn't even ask... Oh, okay. He likes to take things out of perspective.
"Are you kidding me? I have the ladies flowing off me!" I said in a pain filled voice.
"Well how do you think they will like you when they found out about your blue, crushed balls." He joked making everyone in the give out a short laugh.
"Atleast I still have my looks" I said as I put on a horrible, fake smile. This made all the remaining minotaurs begin to laugh. It was long and hearty, almost as if they all rarely laugh. When the laughter died down, An'taur changed his expression to one of almost fear.
"Jarr fought the Lycan," He said, looking down.
"Did he..." I was almost afraid to ask.
"Oh no, he is fine. He went back to his cage after his fight. But..." he looked up as he said this but returned his eyes to the stone as he continued, "all fights are to the death, and he won, so the lycanthrope is dead."
"I am not seeing the downside to this," I said ignorantly.
"If the Lycanthrope is dead, then what are you fighting?"
"Maybe they found something weaker that I can fight?"
"Yeah, maybe..." He hopes in a solemn voice. "Listen okay, you are going to fight next, you were supposed to fight first, but I was able to put them off long enough so you actually get a chance of standing."
"Thanks"
5 guards marched down the steps leading up to what I assumed to be the arena. The one standing in front of the rest had his helmet off. "Can he walk yet?"
"Yeah, I think so," An'taur pulls me to my feet. I stumble for a bit as the pain returns, but I stay standing. We begin to walk up the stairs and An'taur starts to give me some advice. "You walk out, let everyone cheer you on for a bit, then you need to turn to the royal box and bow. You can say a few words then they bring out your opponent. Leave your weapons here so that they allow you to come back here and get them, I'll give you some advice on how to kill it, then fight. And hope to god you win." We walked to a small room with a bench and a minotaur standing near a lever. There was a door that appeared to be made of spears leading out into the arena. The shouts of minotaurs and the beating of drums and other instruments filled my ears, forcing me into an adrenaline state. I take off my pack and place it on the bench. I loaded the hexagun with my incredibly large ammunition and sharpened my blades.
"Hurry up, they are waiting for their next victim," calls the minotaur at the lever. I walk up to the gate and nodded to him. He pulled the lever down and the gate fell. I walked into the arena and the cheers were so loud I couldn't think. I heard mixtures of insults on my way out of the room. It is a simple arena, a large circle with stone ruins and pillars throughout. On top of each of the pillars are small torches. The whole arena went quiet when I reached the centre.
I turned to the Royal box and gave a long, sweeping bow. "I wish to dedicate this fight to the most beautiful creatures I have ever laid eyes on, Princess Celestia and Luna." The crowd gave a short cheer. I looked and saw Celestia smiling, like always, but I also saw Luna blushing like mad, mustn't be used to being complimented. Just below the Royal box, a minotaur stepped up onto a platform with a megaphone in hand.
"As this is our main event, our competitor decided to take on the greatest creature we have, The Berserker!" declared the arena announcer. The crowd began screaming again and started to chant the word 'zerker' over and over again.
"Just give me a moment to collect my weapons!" I shouted up to him.
"Hurry up!" He barked back without using the megaphone. I rushed back to the little room that I came from to grab my gear.
"Ok, you have no chance of defeating the berserker." Thanks for that little piece of confidence An'taur. He looked at my hexagun."Does that thing shoot fire?" I shook my head. "Ok, then your best bet is to try to out last it, if you can make it 10 minutes, they stop the fight. Aim your blows at it's left knee, all of it's past competitors have. A while ago, someone broke it and it didn't heal right. If you can shatter the knee, it'll slow it down but wont stop it. There are small cracks all over it's skin, aim your sword blows at them. If you don't get in between the cracks, you wont do a thing." He put his hand on my shoulder, "Good luck man".
"Thanks."
I was standing in front of the Royal Box facing away from it, just like I was told by the announcer. "Bring up the Ber-serker" I hear the announcer call from behind me. A large circle of floor in the middle of the room slid away and I noticed massive counterweights behind the seats begin to lower. A giant stone statue of a creature was slowly being raised up. It's arms were thinker then I was and had a distinct blue discolouring. It looked like it was made in the liking of a creature made of complete muscle. If the berserker was a tenth as strong as this thing looks, then I am screwed. The platform levels out with the ground and I notice that there is nothing else on the platform except the statue. I start to look around for the berserker but everything is quiet and still.
"RRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" The crowd erupted into cheering. I slowly turned my head back to the now more grey statue.
"Well...fuck"
Я буду чувствовать, что утром